The Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival

Dunlap Coke Ovens Park and Museum in Dunlap, Tenn. Cost: Donations of $5 per person requested

The Dunlap Coke Ovens Park and Museum is located west of US-127 in downtown Dunlap, Tenn., within the beautiful Sequatchie Valley. Turn on Cherry Street at the traffic signal and follow signs. Parking is free.

For more information:  Visit www.cokeovens.com or call 423-949-2294 or 423-309-0069.

One of the best little bluegrass festivals in Southeast Tennessee will take place Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, at the historic Dunlap Coke Ovens Park and Museum in Dunlap, Tenn. The two-day Dunlap Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival is in its 28^th year of celebrating the traditional music of the Sequatchie Valley and region.

This year’s lineup of regional musicians includes Cannon Creek, Cedar Ridge, Coalition Band, Cumberland Band, the Fleming Family, Fox Mountain Express, Fredonia B.G., Timeline, Valley Grass, Barefoot Nellie and the Benedict Trio.

Performances will begin at 6 p.m. CST on Friday, June 6, and at 1 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 7, at the park’s main amphitheater, which is built from old railroad timbers. Audience members should bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the sounds of the fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar and bass in the park’s historic woodland setting.

During the event, visitors are encouraged to explore the 88-acre Dunlap Cove Ovens Park and Museum, which preserves the remains of 268 beehive coke ovens that were part of a former coal mining operation that dates back to 1899. The park’s museum houses the largest collection of regional historic coal mining photographs in the state of Tennessee and features hundreds of mining artifacts, as well as historical objects common to the early settlers of Sequatchie County and Dunlap.

Visitors are also encouraged to walk along the historic roadbed at the park that was used during the Trail of Tears and the American Civil War.

The Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival is a family-friendly event. Pets and alcohol are not allowed. Camping spaces are provided on a first-come-first-served basis. RV parking reservations are available by calling 423-949-3483.

For more information, visit www.cokeovens.com or call 423-949-2294 or 423-309-0069.